A Black Rose
by TheNutcase
Summary: After skipping school on Valentine's Day, Jade visits a flower shop with the intent of picking something out for a certain someone.  No.  Don't laugh.  I'm serious.


I despise Valentine's Day. It's just a bunch of single people sulking because they're alone, and a bunch of couples sulking because they have to spend fifty bucks on candy and flowers and all that crap. It's bullshit. It's just society's made-up holiday to rake in cash from the idiots that buy into it (AKA everyone).

So what the hell am I doing here?

"Hello, welcome to Cassie's Flower Shop. I'm Lisa, how can I help you?" The lady at the counter said happily, chewing gum obnoxiously.

I hated the place from the second I walked in – it was colorful, and pretty, and everyone had on these obviously fake ecstatic smiles, and I pretty much wanted to throw up. I was embarrassed to have walked in, actually.

I sighed, cracking my knuckles and crossing my arms. "I need…," I hesitated, contemplating turning around and leaving in the middle of my sentence. I sighed again. "A rose."

The lady stared at me for a while. She was waiting for me to continue. No such luck. "Uh… well, okay. What color?"

I grunted, fiddling with a keychain hanging off the side of the counter. Like I'm well versed in these things.

The lady cleared her throat and continued in her peppy voice. "Well, there's a variety of roses, ranging from light colors to dark, and," I interrupted, fed up.

"I don't care," I said bluntly.

She stopped talking, looking a bit freaked out like I was about to pull a knife or something.

"Give me a black one," I continued, dropping the keychain, happy with my decision.

She gulped. "Uh… you know, black roses typically symbolize death, although they can also – "

I smirked. "Perfect."

* * *

><p>Jade was absent today.<p>

Absent. On Valentine's Day.

I mean, I can understand – she and Beck had just broken up, but _still_. I mean, it's Valentine's Day. Who skips on Valentine's Day? It doesn't matter if it's the first time in three years you've been single. Someone else could've tried to get with her.

Like me.

I'm so pathetic.

Anyway, I was planning to tell her how I feel. I know it's cliché, and ridiculous, and she'd probably be more pissed about how mushy I was being over what I was trying to say. But I just can't wait any longer.

I'm _sooooo_ pathetic.

Well, she didn't show up to school. So I couldn't tell her, which means I have to keep it all inside for even longer. I was so excited to finally get it out there, and so determined to not let my nerves get in the way, and then she goes and doesn't show up.

I was silent on the journey home with Trina. She spent the car ride singing loudly to some love songs on the radio that made me feel even worse about myself. Apparently, some guy asked her out or something. I couldn't care less, and I was sure that she was being delusional about it anyway.

When she pulled into our driveway (quite recklessly), I went inside and ran up the stairs, intent on sulking in my room for the rest of my life.

But my bedroom door was closed. I was almost a hundred percent sure I'd left it open. I quickly figured I hadn't and opened it.

I walked inside, and my eye was instantly caught by the rose sitting on my bed.

I dropped my bag on the floor and scrambled towards it, my mind having a heart attack. Can that happen? No, it can't. Never mind.

My thoughts instantly took a bad turn – after all, don't black roses symbolize death or something? Could this be a sick death threat?

Then I saw the note that the flower was resting on. It was a white sheet of paper with black ink. I recognized the handwriting, and my heart leaped. It looked like Jade's – but surely it couldn't be. It had to be someone else, or at the very least some type of joke.

I picked up the note and started to read.

_Vega,_

_Hi. Um, it's Jade. This is sort of awkward for me, and I really don't know what to write._

_So, I guess I just wanted to tell you that I kind of like you. That sounds stupid. This whole thing's stupid, I should've just come to school and told you there… look. Ever since I laid eyes on you, I just haven't been able to get myself to look away._

_Shit._

_I'm terrible at this._

_This is like my billionth try to get this right. I swear to God, I should just take this rose and get out of here, it's not even worth it._

_Okay, let's talk about the rose._

_I went to a flower shop today. Don't laugh at the thought, I know you were about to. Anyway, I went all the way to this flower shop, and I get inside and realize that I don't know what the hell I should get you. So I go up to the chick at the counter, and she starts trying to shove all these ideas and meanings down my throat. _

_I got a black rose for you. I know. It symbolizes death or whatever, and they get 'em for funerals, but nothing else sat right for me. _

_So, yeah, maybe everyone else thinks it means death or whatever. Rebirth or something, too. Gotta sugarcoat things. _

_But that's not what it is to me. _

_To me, it's like… you. It's like you. I see you, and I see this beautiful thing. This beautiful person. And everyone else thinks that you're not for me, because you belong somewhere else. Because it means something completely different compared to what I'm trying to say. _

_I want you, and I can't explain it. No one else can explain it, because it makes no sense. We're not right for each other. Anyone can see that. _

_But anyone can see that black roses show all that's wrong in the world. The dark, screwed up side of things. Well, that's not how I see them. I feel like they're the opposite – like they're right, like they show you everything I feel. _

_And who gives a shit about what everyone else says this should mean? _

_I hope I didn't just make an idiot out of myself._

_Love,_

_Jade West_

A couple minutes into it my jaw had already dropped. I reluctantly placed it back on the bed once I'd read it and picked the rose up.

Somebody cleared their throat behind me, and I spun around to see her leaning in the doorway, looking nervous. I'd never seen her nervous before.

She bit her lip and broke eye contact. "If you… don't feel the same way, y'know… just don't lead me on."

I walked up to her and wrapped her in a hug, pressing her back into the doorframe. She hesitantly wrapped her arms around me.

I laughed a little. "Of course I feel the same way, are you blind?" I muttered into her shoulder. Then I pulled back and kissed her.

It was the best kiss of my pathetic life.

**A/N - Heyy. How's it goin?**

**So, um, yeah, I know Valentine's Day was basically forever ago. Therefore, this is really random and totally out of place.**

**Oh well, whatever, get over it.**

**And if you can't get over it yell at me in a review. :D**


End file.
